Layered Latino Lover Potage
with Carmelized Pears and Ham

Yield: 2 quarts

Wine suggestion
A delicate, aromatic Rhone White, like a Viognier: François Villard Condrieu, 1998

For the layered potatoes:

• 1/2 cup of roasted garlic, chopped 12 leaves of basil, roughly chopped 3 jalapeños, stems and seeds discarded, minced (or other chiles, as desired) 1/2 red onion, sliced 6 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 2 boniato, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 yuca, peeled and thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly butter a 6- by 9-inch baking or casserole dish. Mix the cream with the eggs. Alternate the various tubers with the custard mixture, onion, jalapeños. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 2 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and brown for a moment. Allow to cool.

When cool, invert the custard delicately and allow to settle, covered in the refrigerator. Cut the circles for the presentation shortly before serving.

Note: The scraps of gratin could be put into frittatas for a nice lunch.

For the soup:

• 1/4 cup smoked bacon, diced (optional)
• 1/4 cup roasted garlic oil
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves raw garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 leeks, cleaned and cut into a small dice
• 2 Spanish or Vidalia onions, peeled and diced small
• 1 bulb fennel, cored and diced small
• 4 inner stalks celery
• 6 chef potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 cups of light chicken stock
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large heavy saucepan and add the bacon. Cook on moderate heat so as not to cook the bacon too quickly. When it is halfway cooked add the roasted garlic olive oil and the butter. Stir. Add the garlic, leeks, onions, fennel and celery. Stir often. When the vegetables are soft add the potatoes and chicken stock and cook until the potatoes are soft. Add the cream and heat through. Purée. Strain through a china cap (not a chinois) and return to a saucepan.

Heat the soup and adjust the consistency. Season to taste. Reserve.

For the pears and ham:

• 2 ripe pears, peeled and sliced
• Sugar, as needed to sprinkle on the pears
• Prosciutto, cut into thin slices and again into ribbons

Sprinkle the pears with a little sugar and caramelize them in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat.
Wrap a slice of the ham around the pears and reserve.

For the presentation, heat the gratin's circles in a preheated 350°F oven for at least 5 minutes. Pour the hot soup around the gratin. Lay the caramelized pear/ham combo on top of the soup and serve.

Copyright © 1996 by Norman Van Aken